Spec Ops: Atonement
by Obsidianjake
Summary: Captain Martin Walker, American Soldier; Delta Force operative and the man who nearly destroyed the Damned 33rd. Watch as he rises to Atone for his sins and maybe, just maybe carve out a new home for the Damned 33rd in the Kingdom of Lugunica.
1. Chapter 1: Atonement

Kind of taking inspiration from Demon Lord, Retry here as well as Log Horizon and of course Re;Zero, I hope you all enjoy; please review and read to your heart's content.

Captain Martin Walker slowly walked through the streets of Dubai his uniform in tatters, the ceramic under his vest exposed and dented from multiple bullets, his body was covered in gashes some of which he had patched up but others he just left as he walked around the city aimlessly. His M4 rifle was strapped to his chest hanging onto his body with a Barrett .50 caliber rifle strapped to his back along with an M1014 shotgun. In his hand Walker gripped the .44 Magnum that he had received from agent Riggs after he shot him.

The cold grip burning against his hot hand as he continued to walk along. He didn't know what he was looking for at the moment, clarity maybe or a slow death via dehydration, Walker had no clue all he did was continue to press forward hoping to find something, anything that was left. Behind him twenty men, the last of the damned 33rd walked silently, looking upon captain Walker with brief glances as he led them to god knows where, Walker needed a mission now he needed direction, he needed to get out of Dubai. The city of his nightmares that seemed to surround him and the men in inky darkness and torment, their own private slice of hell. Walker stopped as he heard a small sound, barely a whisper and then what sounded like a stone falling somewhere and then what sounded like a child's cry.

Holding his hand up to hold Walker slowly began moving to the source of the sound, his boots crunching against the sand and rubble he passed over as he made his way towards the source, the sound slowly getting louder as he set down his sidearm. He came across a pile of rubble from a collapsed building, the sound was louder now as the men watched him with trained eyes, watching as he slowly began to lift each piece of rubble carefully as to not disturb the rest. The sound was clear as day now and Walker knew the men could here is as they flinched slightly. "Come on there is someone down there and we need to get them out, help me dig." Walker ordered in a calm voice as the last of the damned 33rd began walking towards him.

Setting down their guns as they began digging through the rubble trying to find the source of the sound as they moved rock after rock out of their way, he heard two men grunt as they worked together to move a particularly heavy rock before the pile seemed to collapse in on itself, revealing a tunnel made of concrete that led towards the building in front of them.

Motioning for the rest of the men to hold again as he turned on the flashlight strapped to his chest, the light illuminating the tunnel as he began to crawl forwards on his hands and knees slowly as he did not want to lose balance and slide down into whatever lay down there, the crying could be heard clearly now as he made his way into what he assumed was the basement of the building that had collapsed up top, rocks and sand rolling down the tunnel as he made his way towards the end of the tunnel, the mouth was just barely large enough to fit through as he slid out, grabbing his M4 as he looked around, what he found inside left him speechless to say the least as his blue eyes widened and his mind reeled at what he saw.

Civilians, rows upon rows of civilians along with 33rd members some injured, their faces burnt in places and there bodies scarred from the weeks of battle they had endured against Walker, others looked scared as they spotted the man they saw butcher their brothers just appear, they had made a makeshift bunker out of what looked to be a parking garage, it was a safe haven to all who wanted to avoid fighting or couldn't fight. Those who could began to raise their weapons as they saw him, preparing to fire as Walker raised his hands in the universal sign for surrender.

But one of the men didn't take his surrender, walking up to him the man of the 33rd he didn't want to fight these men anymore and he knew they were just as tired as he was as he began to slowly put his weapons down, kicking them towards the last of the damned 33rd as he looked into the eyes of a lieutenant that came up to take his weapons away, the man looked at him with dead eyes, his eyes sunken in from the lack of sleep and intense fighting as he picked up captain Walker's weapons, before tossing them out of reach. "Are we the last sir?" The lieutenant asked as Walker shook his head.

"No son, there are more of you just up top and I know they would very much like to see this." Walker said as he put his fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle, the men in the makeshift bunker kept their weapons trained on him as he did, they were right to be cautious after everything Walker had done, but the last thing he wanted to do right now was anger the men, or fight them and reuniting the brothers of the 33rd seemed like a good place to start gaining back some trust with them, not that he had much to begin with.

He heard the men up top began making their way down the tunnel, the rest of the rocks and sand falling down from the mouth of the tunnel as they joined him, dusting of their tattered uniforms as they looked around, the weight of what they saw hitting them like a ton of bricks as they realized they were no longer the last of their unit, Walker watched as a few of them collapsed crying. Others walked towards people they recognized tears in their eyes as they rejoined their brothers they thought had fallen, Walker stood in place for a moment before moving towards the lieutenant as he let out a sigh. "How many survived?" He asked grimly as he surveyed the bunker, the lieutenant looking at him as the rest of the men caught up with one another.

"A couple hundred or so, why do you plan on killing the last of the 33rd off sir." The lieutenant spat as he looked at Walker with disgust in his eyes as he stared down the captain.

"No son, no, I'm done fighting you and I plan on taking a long vacation in hell after this, it is the least I deserve." Walker muttered as he continued to watch the men, his fists clenched as the world around him seemed to go grey, the images of what he had done in Dubai flashing before him as the people around him seemed to pause in mid action.

"Are you so sure you're done fighting Walker? after so long fighting my men, killing them mercilessly for no reason you are just going to give up like that. ha pathetic!." A voice spat from behind Walker as he looked around, before he spotted the man of his nightmares, the man he had trusted for most of his military career and the man he came to Dubai to try to rescue, only to find out he was dead and now just a figment of his imagination. "Then what are you going to do with these men, are you going to take the easy way out like I did, leaving them to starve or die of dehydration, what will you do Walker?" Konrad spat as he walked towards Walker, the lights seemingly flickering as he did.

"No." Walker said simply as he looked Konrad in the eye.

"No, haha! then what shall you do captain?" Konrad asked in a mocking tone, letting out a cackle as Walker flinched and looked down at the ground his chest beating as he clenched his fists so hard that the palms of his hands bled slightly.

Walker thought for a second as he looked down at his hands, they were covered with sand, dirt and blood from the last few days of fighting, his injuries had begun to scab over in places as he clenched his hands into fists. "I am going to finish what you started." He muttered as he began making his way to the center of the gathered men, walking with a purpose as he heard Konrads mocking voice in the background. "Oh sure you will, you're no hero Walker, you will only lead these men to a closer death."

"_Not if I can help it."_ Thought Walker was he put his fingers into his mouth again and let out another shrill whistle, causing the last of the damned 33rd to settle down and look at their would be killer. Walker began to speak, his voice radiating authority as he began to channel all that he had learned from Konrad when he was still alive. "Alright 33rd listen up, I want a head count and an inventory of our supplies asap, I also want volunteers for a recon team to look for anymore survivors, round em' up and bring them home." The men looked at him dumbfounded as he spoke, a few of them crossed their arms disapprovingly as the man who had killed so many of them was trying to give them orders, though the men that had followed him to the bunker just looked at him with a tired expression before giving a half hearted salute.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing captain, after everything you've done you think you can just command us?" The lieutenant said as he stood in front of the men. "We should kill you where you stand for what you've done." He spat the spit striking the ground near Walker as the man struck Walker in the side of the face with his left fist, causing a cheer to well up from the crowd of desperate survivors that had gathered around them in order to get a glimpse at the man that had wrought them so much suffering being brought low by a single strike.

"What's your name son?" Walker asked as he looked at the man, he saw the fear and anger in his eyes as he spoke while Walker recovered from the punch, his face bleeding slightly from the punch as he rubbed the left side of his face.

"Lieutenant Frank Sullivan of the damned 33rd." The man said with pride as he crossed his arms, the man was obviously a 33rd veterans judging by the amount of pride he had in the unit and the way he carried himself among the newer members as he looked down at Walker with a disgusted look on his face.

"Well Lieutenant, as the ranking officer here it is my duty to lead the 33rd and any civilians out safely, from there we will radio from outside the storm wall and call for backup." Walker said as he looked around, afraid his plan to rally the 33rd was going to go up in flames before it could even be put into motion he spoke again. "We will finish what Konrad started, we will uphold our duty and put aside what we have done to each other for now so we can get out of this hell hole and back home, from there you may throw me to the wolves I won't resist or implicate you in any way and I will most likely be executed for my crimes, but until then I will be the one pulling your asses out of the fire and back into the arms of your family's." Walker yelled the last part as he panted feeling out of breath before continuing. "And who will tell the families of the ones who died, would you rather they find out from some letter that was written from a template, or a soldier of the 33rd who fought alongside the men and woman who lost their lives and who can tell them of their honor and valor." Walker finally finished as he caught his breath, the sand that permeated the air of Dubai even down in the bunker scratching at the inside of his throat as he looked at the men in front of him, it was silent for but a minute before the lieutenant spoke.

"Alright Walker you want to feel like a hero, we will carry out these orders we are dead either way anyways, but if you think your out of the fire then you have another thing coming to you and I swear to god you will pay for what you did."

"I'll pay for it the rest of my life and after my death lieutenant Sullivan, now let's rally the men we have work to do."

**A day later…..**

Walker looked down the list the 33rd had drawn up of their supplies and men, it was abysmal to say the least the water would begin to run out in three months if they rationed it correctly but they only had enough food for two, they had around two dozen working humvees, though to say working would be a stretch given the amount of damage some of them had taken during the battle for Dubai and one stryker as well as two blackhawks and around a dozen "little birds" left. The 33rds numbers ranged in the low hundreds far from the numbers Konrad once commanded but more men were being found everyday trapped in buildings or hiding from Walker and they needed to be talked down by their brothers from the 33rd before they even believed Walker was helping them evacuate. Still they couldn't run recon patrols like this forever they needed to move and soon if they wanted to make it through the storm wall with everyone intact. Walker stood up from his chair, looking around at his makeshift quarters as he sighed, he would give the recon teams another 4 hours or so to comb the last parts of the city but soon it would be time to pack up and get out of hell and get to friendly soil where they could get help for the sick and injured survivors.

Music echoed through the underground parking lot that was their makeshift bunker as wind howled above ground, Walker spotted one recon squad that was returning from their last round, sand coating and sticking to their clothing and skin as they pulled off their face masks, gas masks and goggles, even after all this time Dubai was still blasted by the high winds of sandstorms from beyond the storm wall, covering the city in another layer of sand as the earth tried to bury it and erase it from existence. "We need to get out soon." Muttered Walker as he passed by a few civilians huddling together as sand poured in from the small cracks that began to form on the ceiling of the parking garage, raining down onto the people inside as they tried to ride out a major sandstorm that was passing through.

Spotting Lieutenant Sullivan, Walker slowly walked over to him his M4 strapped to his back as he nodded at the man. "How are we doing Sullivan?" Walker asked as he stood beside him his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the men begin to prepare the remaining vehicles they had for the long journey ahead of them, they were putting cloth over the intake manifolds of the vehicles to keep the sand from the storm out of the engine, others were loading the supplies onto the trucks they had managed to scavenge from the ruins of the once great city of Dubai. "Good Walker, we should be ready to head out by tomorrow at 0700 hours if we work as fast as possible, but… I have a concern." The man said as the two of them watched the men work. "What is it Sullivan?" Walker asked as he heard the wind pick up above them, small particles of sand could be seen floating through the air as they leaked in from the cracks above them.

"The civilians goddamnit Walker, they won't survive this trip!" Sullivan nearly yelled the last bit as he shoved Walker roughly, as if he was trying to shake some sense into the older soldier as he grimaced. Walker sighed as he shook his head, he knew Sullivan was right about one thing, many of the civvies would get lost in the storm without careful planning and coordination from the 33rd and even if they had the time for perfect planning which they did not, they would most likely still lose people to the sand storms winds and dust. It was a tough choice, but it was one Walker had to make if he wanted to save what was left of the damned 33rd left trapped here by him. But still it left a bad feeling in his gut as he looked at Sullivan, nodding at the man as he accepted the point made by the lieutenant.

"I know we will lose people lieutenant and I will carry their deaths to my soon to be grave when we get back stateside, but it's either possibly die tomorrow or die a month from now from dehydration when we run out of food and water or we are buried alive when the storm decides to move in for good." Walker sighed as he heard the last of their dwindling supplies being loaded onto a truck, before the marines closed down the hatches and signaled that they had finished.

Walker walked off as Sullivan refused to reply to the man who was leading them to their deaths after they barely avoided his psychotic rampage through crumbling city just days earlier, Walker didn't blame the younger man for being sceptical, in fact he welcomed the critic, the plan was not a foolproof one in fact it was full of holes and obstacles they could not consider with the little time they had to plan it out. But it was the best plan he could come up with for now and if he could manage to at least rescue some of the men he had wronged so many times, then he would die satisfied that he had least done the right thing for once in his life, at least he hoped that what he was doing was the right thing this time.

**The next day..**

Walker fiddled with a child's seat belt, the young child barely older than four years was squirming a bit as the captain finished strapping him into the civilian trucks, the vehicle had been heavily modified to hopefully survive the winds and sands of the sandstorm, cloth adorned the radiator grill to help keep out the sand from the storm as a 33rd member started up the engine of the vehicle. An AH-6 "Little Bird" helicopters passing overhead as their small convoy started up their engines, the roar of the V8 turbo diesel engines echoed throughout the ruins of Dubai, several more of their few helicopters passed overhead as the men and women of the 33rd readied up for their greatest challenge since Walker first arrived in the crumbling city, there was a sense of hope amongst all of them even Walker as he watched everyone get ready for the long journey through the storm wall.

"Maybe we will get through this." Walker said to himself as he watched a 33rd member help a child into his mother's lap in a civilian car.

The recon teams had found a few more survivors in the rubble Walker and his team had left behind on their foolish and deadly mission, some had managed to find cover when the delta force operatives tore through the city. others had not been so lucky with their injuries and the 33rd could only give them peace amongst their remaining brothers in arms before they passed on into darkness. Walker sighed softly as he thought about it, hefting his M4 service rifle in his hands as he scanned along the convoy. It was his fault that those men would not be able to see their families one last time, he had tricked himself into believing that the 33rd was in the wrong in Dubai and he had ripped through the city to try to help the people who survived but instead all he had caused was more pain, suffering and death just so he could try to be the hero. But he wasn't the hero here, no he was just a man trying to calm his conscience.

The soldiers of the 33rd were the true hero's here, sacrificing life and limb to protect people they didn't even know and following the orders of their commander even to the death. **"Konrad."** Thought Walker. The man deserves a hero's welcome back home, not a death by his own hand in a city in chaos, Walker couldn't help but shake his head again as he saw a flash of Konrad in front of him, those visions still plagued him even after he accepted what he had done here, it wasn't as bad as before but he saw flashes and heard whispers in the back of his head every once in awhile which he quickly pushed to the back of his mind. He needed to be focused, now more than ever if he wanted to help guide these men back home as one last chance at some redemption for himself and the men that came with him as well as delta force in general.

Quickly giving the convoy another once over, he couldn't help but let out another sigh. they had found another blackhawk helicopter which had been hastily modified to survive the storm, or so they hoped. As well as another stryker LAV, one M1A2 abrams tank and four humvees which were also hastily modified to pass through the storm wall the rest were civilian vehicles that were packed with the remaining civilian survivors of Dubai. They were a motley bunch of soldiers, understaffed and under equipped for a job such as this but it was better than nothing and they would have to begin moving quickly if they wanted to make it out of the storm wall. Walker walked to the front of the convoy opening the door of the lead humvee, the heavy metal door slamming behind him as he took a seat on the less than comfortable passenger seat. Beside him sat a private in the driver seat, one of the men who followed him out of the tower with what he thought was the last of the 33rd at the time. The man looked at him for a second before turning away, he seemed to grimace slightly as he started the engine the diesel V8 let out a roar as the rest of the convoy began starting up their engines. The roar of engines echoing throughout the streets as the helicopters hovered above them, picking up the radio in the center console, Walker pushed the button on the handset.

"Metal 0-1 to convoy, report in." Walker said over the comm as he leaned back in the chair, staring directly forward as the gunner up top cocked the machine guns bolt back, letting out a resounding click as the 33rd began to mount up. The sound of doors slamming echoing over the sound of diesel engines starting up, crackling came over the radio as the rest of the vehicles began to report in. "This is Metal 0-2 on standby." The radio crackled as a young man came over the comm channel while the rest of the convoy began tuning into the channel they had selected for their mission.

"This is Metal 0-3 on standby."

"Metal 0-4 to 0-8 on standby." Another reported in.

It continued like that for a while until the last vehicle reported in, Walker pressed the button on the radio again relaying his message to the entire convoy. "Alright let's move out." He said as his jeep began to move, followed closely behind by the humvee behind them as the gunner up top began scanning left to right those who could not fit in the vehicles either sat on the tanks or walked along side as they made their way out of the hell hole they had called home for the past several months. They didn't expect to run into any contacts on their way to the storm wall but the men were acting on battle hardened instincts that had been trained and honed for many years, so Walker couldn't blame them for wanting to keep their corners checked for hostiles.

Even Walker himself found the instincts begin to kick in his mind working to gather as much information as possible from his sight lines, keeping one eye peeled for any danger that might try to hinder their progress towards the storm wall as the helicopters flew overhead, their rotors kicking up a substantial amount of dust when they came in low as they traveled through the rubble littered streets of the once great city of Dubai. The route the recon team had mapped out for them to take was a long one, but it was the route with the least obstructions in the way. **"The less time spent clearing the roads out the better." **

Thought Walker as he looked out the bulletproof window separating him from the sandy outside world, he recognized some of the places they were passing through as they drove through the sand covered streets and over a few sandy dunes, bodies littered the streets as birds feasted on the meat on the corpses. Walker shuddered as he was reminded once again about what he had done to the men he was now helping. The humvee turned a corner as the rest of their meager convoy followed closely behind them, the sand crunching under the wheels as they made their way to the edge of the city, the buildings getting smaller and smaller as they made their way out.

"Approaching the storm wall ETA 90 seconds." A voice came crackling over the comm as a helicopter pilot above them radioed in as the approached the wall of sand that for long had prevented them from rejoining civilization. Now they would barrel through the wall of sand and make it back to their loved ones or die trying. Walker picked up the handset for the last time until they hit the storm wall, once they were inside they would need to keep close and communicate via hand signals and runners "We are about to hit the storm wall, everyone stay close and keep together I don't want to lose anyone." he said before setting down the radio as the Humvee hit the storm wall.

The engine let out a strained groan as it hit the winds and heavy sand blasts of the storm wall, the heavy vehicle plowing through the winds as the convoy followed close behind them, many of them men outside covering their faces and heads with goggles and face wraps to keep the sand out as they walked into a fresh hell. "So far so good." Muttered Walker as he looked out the window in front of him, visibility was very poor as they drove into the storm the sand blasting against the bullet proof glass as the driver turned on the windshield wipers in a vain attempt to see a bit better, the gunner uptop came back down and closed the hatch behind him as they continued to drive on. "You think we will make it farther the Konrad this time captain Walker?" The private driving asked as he kept his eyes on the sand in front of the vehicle.

Walker looked over at the younger man as he drove. "What's your name son?" He asked as he looked back out the front window, watching the sand slowly flow off the hood of the humvee as they drove along in silence for a few minutes. "Names Alex, Alex Mason." The private finally said as he looked over at Walker for a split second before looking back at the sandy road in front of him.

"Well private Mason, I wouldn't worry about us too much, we have the easy job of driving back home." Walker said with a chuckle as he pointed up. "It's the flyboys up there that are probably having a hell of a time keeping themselves level." Alex laughed as he nodded. "Yeah I guess they are, I thankfully would rather keep my feet firmly on the ground for this one."

Walker shook his head. "I told them they could keep their feet on the ground for this one, but once the pilots realized they would be leaving the birds they'd been in since this fiasco started none of them wanted to leave their machines behind."

Alex nodded as the humvee groaned, making its way over a large dune as a stryker followed close behind them, Walker looked into the side mirror of the armored vehicle making sure that the rest of their convoy was following close as they made their way over the large dune. "I'm surprised we managed to make it this far without losing a sole." Walker said as he turned back to the other three men in the back seat. "One of you get up top and signal for a headcount, hopefully the helicopter pilots will be doing the same." Walker ordered before sitting back down, he heard the grumbling of one soldier as he put some goggles and a mask on before opening the MG hatch, his boot 'accidentally' hitting the back of Walkers head as he began relaying the captain's message back. Walker shook his head before laying head head back against the leather headrest behind him, closing his eyes as he decided to take a five minute rest. "Just until we have to do the check in again." He felt his eyelids grow heavy

"**You know this is not going to work…..don't you?"** Walker heard a familiar voice say in the back of his head as he began to sleep as the humvee continued to drive through the sandstorm without issue.

"We have to try…..at the very least give these last men some hope for the future of their lives." Walker replied as he looked around, all around him were the sand blasted ruins of Dubai, all around him and seemed to be flowing through the air like blood through veins as Walker saw a shadow walk towards him, the sand crunching beneath Konrads combat boots as he continued to speak to Walker in his mocking tone as if he were scolding the captain.

"**You are irredeemable Walker, you and I both know this so why do you resist?" **The voice of the long dead Konrad echoed through his head as Walker fixed his gaze on the shadow, reaching down for his .44 magnum, feeling the cold metal grip in his palm as he watched the shadow grow closer and closer. **"You're a dead man walking Walker, your soul is contaminated by the men and women you slaughtered getting here and do you really think by saving this handful of survivors from dying will redeem you." **

"No I don't." Spat Walker as he kept his grip on his gun. "I just want to help them, after all I have done to them it is the least I can do."

"**HA, you can't save anyone Walker, you can't even save yourself from your own dreams." **The voice of Konrad spat as the shadow came closer and closer to Walker as he raised his weapon.

"I have to try though, it's the last thing I need to do before I pass on to wherever I am going whether by my own hand or the hand of the US military I will see this mission through." Walker stated with a hint of confidence in his voice as he spoke to the shadow of Konrad that had been plaguing him for so long.

"**Is that bravado I hear Captain Walker, you and I both know you are no savior, all you are doing is leading these men to quicker deaths." **Konrad replied with a laugh as Walker flinched. **"You are a monster through and through Walker, every one of those men can see that and you know it, whatever peace you have made with them for now will not last once you get past the storm wall, they will tear you apart for what you've done to them." **

Walker nodded agreeing with the Colonel as he looked down. "I know, but I want to leave this world knowing I did some good for once, I don't want to be the cause of more pain when the families of these survivors find out they are dead." Walker said with a choked voice as a single tear traveled down the burnt side of his face, causing the wound to sting as the salty liquid traveled over it.

"**Tears will do you no good here soldier, now man up and stop pussy footing around you got a job to do." **Konrad suddenly screamed like a drill sergeant attempting to get a raw recruit to man up, it caused Walker to jump as the Colonel yelled at him, his training kicking in as he wiped the tear off of his face wincing a bit as his hand passed over his burn wound.

"W-what the hell are you talking about." Walker stuttered as he backed up a bit, pulling his sidearm out of the holster backing up more as he held the .44 magnum at his side, pulling the hammer back on the weapon as he prepared to fire should he be attacked by the apparition though he doubted he could hurt Konrad at all, but he would try if the man got in the way of his mission.

"**You will see Walker, you will see I just hope you don't fuck this up like you did the last time." **The shadow of Konrad muttered as he looked passed Walker before looking back at the US soldier with a laugh. **"Now get out of here Walker and make sure you take care of my men." **With that Konrad disappeared from Walkers sight leaving the delta force operative alone as the world began to go black around him.

It felt like the air was being drawn out of Walkers lungs by a vacuum as the world went black. Causing the soldier to looking around for something, anything that would give him a sense of spatial awareness but when he found nothing that just forced his stress to sky rocket as he kept on looking around, turning a bit frantic before his delta force training kicked in and forced him to calm down.

Then he felt the pain, it coursed through him like a tapeworm as he doubled over clutching his stomach with both of his hands as he felt the pain travels through the very fiber of his muscles as he let out a hoarse scream. His body felt as if it were immersed in a bath of white phosphorus as he struggled to regain control of himself, his hands shivering as he looked around still seeing nothing but black as he felt another stab of pain travel through his spine, forcing him to double over once again.

Walker felt his conscious mind begin to slip away from him as the pain continued to echo through his mind and body, along with a small voice, just barely a whisper against his loud screams of pain that spoke in his ear. "They will know for what you are monster, slayer of the good men of the 33rd you will be alone for a time in this next world, but if you persist you may find allies both new and old to help you along the path to redemption." The voice said in a low threatening tone, as if it were telling Walker a cold hard fact.

Then Walker felt his mind slip and his body shut down as the voice finished, a blinding white light sparking in front of Walker as his body went limp.2

Walker felt sand beneath his hands as he stood up, wind coursing through his short hair as he pulled his mask and goggles to protect his mouth and eyes from the sand. "What the?" Walker said as he looked around, his voice seemingly echoing as he spoke to himself, he was back in Dubai and that much was clear as he felt the sand filter through his fingers.

"Whats going on!?" He yelled attempting to find someone, anyone to explain what was happening to him, he was very confused at the moment and he did not know whether this was some fever dream due to his guilt or a harsh reality.

"You left me to die Walker." A voice whispered in his ear as Walker turned around to face the source.

He nearly puked when he saw it, it was Lugo the delta force sniper was hanging from a light post with a rope wrapped around his neck, blood covering his mouth as he looked directly into Walker's eyes. "This was all your fault. What will my family think when I am sent home in a body bag and told some fake story about how I died in the line of duty? When in our twisted, fucked up reality I am actually a war criminal who killed civilians and good men on the whim of a lunatic."

"Lugo…...I….I didn't mean for this." Walker attempted to apologize but he was soon cut off by a rage filled Lugo.

"And what about my life Walker, if you didn't mean for this to happen then surely you could give me back the life you stole from me." Lugo spat as what appeared to be blood filled tears rolled down his face. "I was going to ask a girl to go out with me when we got home, a girl I had known since grade school and you stole that from me…..just like everything else you stole from me." Lugo looked away into the distance as Walker stood there, his mind beginning to fracture in on itself as he felt tears run down his face. He never meant for any of this to happen and he knew that he should have been in Lugo's place right now, hanging by his neck as a warning for all others.

"I'm a monster now…thanks to you." Lugo said as he looked back at Walker as blood began to flow from his mouth, the sergeant taking a knife from a sheath on his belt as he continued speaking. "Just remember Walker, you are a monster no matter what…...don't try to fool these people they will see right through it…and remember all the lives you took…sad thing is you are the only one who can." With that Lugo took the knife and before Walker could even react, he cut the rope causing his body to fall towards the ground as it went limp before hitting the sand.

"Such a good man corrupted by you Walker, he was a good kid and had potential but all that was ruined by you." The voice of Konrad said now as he appeared beside Walker, wearing a T-shirt and camo pants. "What do you think about your new home so far?" Konrad asked as he turned towards the captain.

"Where the hell am I? What did you do Konrad?" Walker asked as he continued staring at Lugo's prone form unwilling to meet the accusing gaze of his own mind.

"I…..I didn't do anything Walker." Konrad said with a chuckle. "Someone else is requesting your help, she needs a soldier to protect something she cares about. "

"Then you know where the hell I am?" Walker asked once again as he finally looked the apparition in the eyes, only to have Konrad grin at him slyly with his pearly white teeth.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out Walker. But who knows maybe you'll find something here to take care of and not destroy for once." Konrad grinned at Walker with his knowing expression that only fueled Walkers anger towards the dead man.

"Enough with the bullshit Konrad, what the fuck is going on."

"That is for you to figure out Walker, now go…...and don't be too hard on yourself." Konrad said with a smirk, before the imagined form of the Colonel thought for a moment as if pulling some information from within his mind that he forgot to mention.

"Ah yes, Walker one last thing."

"What is it you son of a bitch." The delta force operative let out a growl as he looked away from Konrads gaze, unwilling to meet that accusatory glare for fear of being driven insane all over again.

"Find Natsuki Subaru….."

Walker let out a groan as he awoke from what felt like one long nap, his body still ached a deep pain that radiated through his bones; the pain speaking off how far the Delta operative had pushed himself in both his attempt to bring down the 33rd and his attempt to save them. But as he opened his eyes, he began to wonder if he had succumbed to his wounds in his sleep. It was blue sky, not dark brown that greeted Walker as he opened his blue eyes, rubbing them to make sure he wasn't dreaming the Soldier pushed himself up onto his rear as he began to look around the forest he found himself in.

"What the hell is this." Walker muttered to no one in particular as he looked around the seemingly peaceful wooded clearing he found himself in, a small pond lay in the middle of the clearing as Walker picked himself up off his ass, dusting his ruined pants off slightly as the soldier inspected himself for any new injuries.

He still had his gear and that was a plus in Walkers mind, at this point in his damaged brain being unarmed was tantamount to being naked in the middle of a warzone for the delta force operative. A gun gave him control, a gun kept him safe and in this strange new forest he found himself in a gun made him feel a bit more relaxed about his situation.

"Alright, now where the hell am I?" Walker once again asked himself as he rubbed the back of his head, he knew of no forested area such as this one anywhere outside of Dubai and even then if there was one it would have been covered in sand a long time ago. So that ruled out being anywhere near Dubai and as Walker dumped out his canteen, before dunking the metal container into the pond allowing it to fill with fresh water as Walker thought out his next move.

"**I should search for the 33rd Remnants and the Civilians, if I got pulled to this place wherever the hell this place is then they must have been pulled along with me." **Walker thought as he slipped the cap back onto the mouth of his canteen, slipping it back into onto his belt as Walker slipped his M4 off of his chest, holding it in both hands as he looked around.

"Better get moving at the very least, beats sitting on my ass waiting for trouble." Walker said to himself, more out of the need to clearly plan out his actions, making a mental list in his mind as the soldier began to push deeper into the denser parts of the forest.

"**Well isn't this a fine mess you find yourself in Martin, a delta force operative lost in the woods."** Martin thought with a slight smirk as he pushed his broken body through what appeared to be a small game trail. He couldn't help but find the situation humorous, if not because it was yet another mess he had marched himself into without thinking and now he had even brought the 33rd in along with him, he only hoped he hadn't killed them all and he prayed that he would be able to at least verify their safety soon, he owed them that much and so much more.

As Walker made his way through the thick underbrush and branches that seemed to become more dense the deeper he walked into the forest, he found himself lost within the soldier couldn't help but begin to loath the weight of his gear much like he had in basic training. **"Next time, I'm not bringing this much." **The Delta force operative thought as he hefted his Barrett Anti-Material rifle on his shoulder, the sling attached to the weapon digging into his shoulder as Walker bush whacked his way through the forest.

The soldier began to find footprints as he pushed deeper into the woods, not animal footprints mind you but boot prints without treading but boot prints all the same. "Guess someone lives around here, well it's at least something to follow." Walker mused as he got down on one knee, examining one of the prints.

It seemed fresh from what Walker could see, he had never been top of his class when it came to tracking but he could get by all the same; still the fact that this forest seemed inhabited by humans was slightly disturbing to Walker. Not because it was inhabited mind you, the soldier was overjoyed that he had found some sign of civilization in this strange forest; but the fact that he hadn't seen any power lines, roads or any real signs of human civilization as he knew it. All he had to go on were some day old boot prints and that was it; all other signs of human civilization were just absent from this forest.

But as he made his way down the game trail, Walker could swear he smelled smoke and were there was smoke there was usually people. So the soldier began to pick up the pace, even as his muscles screamed at him to slow down the Delta force operative continued to push on hoping to reach whomever was nearby as soon as possible so he could at the very least ascertain his location.

"Find Natsuki Subaru." Konrads words still echoed through Walkers skull, whoever this Natsuki Subaru was if Konrad had seen fit to mention him then he must be important; Walker just didn't know why he was important and that bothered the soldier; he only hoped that who ever this Natsuki was the man was able to give Walker some answers.

Pushing through a particularly dense bush, Martin found himself overlooking a large clearing in the forest from a large cliff; a small village medieval looking village lay before Walker the image before him looking about as picturesque as you can get as he watched the people below go about their activities around town. It all seemed like a dream much like his time in Dubai, but this time; this time it wasn't a complete and utter nightmare and as the sun shone down on Walker forcing him to cover his eyes with his hand as he watched the village he began to wonder if he would ever find the 33rd.

That dream with Konrad didn't really give him much to go on as too where they were, or if they were even in this strange new land with him; so Walker could only hope as he began to work his way down the cliff face hoping to find some information from the village below before continuing his mission to find the remnants of the Damned.

Walker made his way into the small village, hefting his bag over his shoulder as he went by what appeared to be the main road in and out of town; he'd never been adept at sneaking into places and he was here for information anyways if he wanted to sneak around he would've stayed in the forest. Still, the soldier felt like he stuck out a lot given his current attire; the stares he got from the villagers as he walked into their home town didn't do anything to alleviate his anxiety, but still Walker pressed on head held up high in a display of confidence and dominance over the situation.

But, something caught his eye as Walker moved towards the center of the village, it was red, red hair a shade of red that Martin had never seen before in hair; an almost crimson red that seemed to flow water as the small girl the hair belonged too held herself tightly in an alleyway near the center of the village. Martin was about to move away and continue on attempting to figure out his location and attempting to find the 33rd but as three new contacts began to move in on the small child, the Delta force operative couldn't help but give the situation a double take.

The much larger children seemed to be around thirteen or fourteen years of age, while the girl as Walker got a better look at her appeared to be around ten or twelve years of age; though Walker guessed she was most likely around ten years old judging from the softness of her face and the way she carried herself with nervousness and what seemed to be shame. "Girl that age shouldn't be going through this kind of thing, where in the hell are her parents." Walker muttered to himself as he began to work his way over to the group, his limp disappearing as adrenaline began to flow through the soldiers veins pumping from his heart to the rest of his body as he watched one of the young teens smack the young girl, scratching her with his fingernails as blood began to flow from the small cut.

Another threw a rock at the poor girl, hitting her as she attempted to cover her head to protect herself from the object as it bounced off the back of her hand seeming to break a finger or two as the boy yelled. "Get out of here you stinking Oni! We don't need your kind bringing the witches cult around you hear!"

"Ah! Ah! That hurts stop it." The small girl cried out in a sweet voice that seemed to be made of pure porcelain, crying as she received a few more hits before Walker was able to step in.

"Hey there, you little bastard." Walker said coldly as he caught one of the older boys fists before it could strike the girl as Martin gripped the boys wrist, nearly crushing it in his own hand as he struck the blonde haired menace clean across the face.

"Ugh, how dare you old man, you know there's a devil in that girl right!?" The young man spat as he attempted to wrestle his arm away from the painful grip, as Walker watched another one of the boys strike the girl with an open hand, laughing as he did.

His resolve hardening, Walker threw the boy in his grip into one of the buildings surrounding the alleyway the wooden structure letting out a shriek as the boards that made up its outer wall connected with the teenagers body.

"Oh! Now your gonna get it old man!" One of the boys, a dark haired one yelled out as he came from behind Walker swinging; his fist connecting with the back of the Delta force operatives head as Walker turned to face him. Sweeping his leg, Martin knocked the kid off balance as he grabbed his arm twisting it behind the kids back Walker dislocated the kids arm from his shoulder causing him to cry out in pain as the soldier kicked the boy into the side of one of the buildings knocking the boy out cold as Walker faced the last of the attackers.

The smallest out of all the boys stared at Walker with wide eyes, backing away from the American soldier as he began to move towards him with rage flaring within his eyes. "You wanna continue this boy?" Walker spat as he grabbed the boy by his shirt, the small kid letting out a whine as he was lifted off his feet by the soldier.

"Please! Please let me go! I promise we'll leave the damn Oni alone!" He cried, tears flowing down the little brats cheeks as Walker let out a grunt before roughly setting the kid down.

"See to it you do." And with that the boys limped away crying, most likely on their way to tell their parents about what happened; but Walker knew he could handle whatever trouble came his way in this seemingly medieval world. For now the tattered soldier allowed his muscles to rest, a few of his old wounds having been freshly opened by the altercation as Walker leaned against one of the alleyways walls; looking over to find the small red haired girl staring at him with wide eyes.

"Y-you alright kid?" Walker asked his breathing slowly becoming more normalized as the soldier broke out his canteen, pouring the cool contents down his parched throat as he winced from a particularly annoying wound on his upper thigh. The girl seemed frightened of the American soldier, backing away slightly as her body began shaking with fear as she tripped over a small rock; causing her to cry out as she fell down in a heap of confusion and fear.

"Hey, hey. It's alright, I'm not here to scare you or anything like that. I just wanted to make sure you were alright after what those boys did to you." Walker tried to but on as soothing as a tone as he could manage, he'd never been good with children or the opposite sex for that matter; which was probably part of the reason he had yet to marry anyone even without his military career sending him to far off places. But even then, the soldier couldn't help but feel sorry for the small girl as he finally got a good look at her; her hair was greasy and unkempt though it still shon with a crimson beauty that captivated him from the beginning. She also appeared to have multiple bruises and cuts along her body in different stages of healing, she was also thin and as Walker kneeled down to pick her up and placed her back on her feet the soldier could almost immediately tell that the girl hadn't had a decent meal in many days possibly even a month or two given how light she was to carry.

"Now, can you tell me your name little one?" It was a simple question, but even that seemed to strike fear into the girls eyes as she stood back up on her feet; quickly moving too one end of the alleyway so she could hide behind a corner only to peak out every so often to see if Walker was still there.

Setting his multiple weapons on the ground, the soldier raised his hands to show he was not a threat to the girl; hoping she would at least talk to him so he could get some information on any major town or settlement nearby where he could look for the answers he seeked as well as attempting to find what was left of the 33rd, he doubted the village would be willing to help him after he beat up several of their young ones but Walker couldn't say he regretted the action as he watched the young girl peak out once again, slowly moving closer to the soldier as he got down on one knee hoping that getting down to the young girls level would help ease her anxiety.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright, now come here and let me take a look at that finger of yours." Walker said in a soothing tone as the girl poked her head out again as the soldier produced gauze and a small metal plate from his pack along with some medical tape in order to dress the small girls broken finger. The girl was scared half to death as she made her way towards Walker, but as she got closer fresh tears seemed to begin to form as Walker allowed her to come closer on her own terms, not wanting to scare the poor girl; the soldier watched as the small lady ran towards him with an almost incredible burst of speed for someone so young as she wrapped her small arms around the soldiers waist.

She began to wail as the young crimson haired girl before Walker buried her face into the soldiers chest as she latched herself on to the delta operative; tears flowed from her red eyes down the child's cheeks as Walker looked down at her letting out a small sigh before smiling as he patted the girls head softly, his fingers stroking through the young ladies crimson locks as Walker asked with as much of a smile as he could manage given his injured and bandaged face. "So little lady, My names Walker, Martin Walker; what's yours?"

"A-A-Aya, sir." She responded nervously, her melodic voice turning high and squeaky as she looked up at Walker, seemingly unwilling to let go of the man whom had just saved her from a ruthless attack.

"Ah, well Aya; I need you to let go of me for now alright, I'm still wounded." Walker explained as he gave the young girl a soft pat on the head. The girl seemed to gasp as she noticed the various injuries that dotted Walker's body, ranging from burns, cuts and bullet wounds the soldier had accumulated the small girl letting out a gasp as Walker leaned back against the alley wall.

"Alright, hold out your finger Aya." Walker ordered as he let out a soft yawn as he used the small metal plate to straighten her finger so it would heal properly, wrapping the gauze and medical tape around the small girls finger to form a makeshift cast that would prevent the finger from moving.

Satisfied with his work, Walker smiled at the young girl as she looked at her newly wrapped finger in awe; before smiling up at the soldier. It was a bright smile that melted Walkers heart, he'd almost forgotten the rags the kid was wearing, her face and body seeming to have gone a week or two without a proper bath; but there was also her weight the kid appeared to be nothing more than skin and bones at this point, lacking any form of proper nourishment, Walker began wondering how the girl got this way as he looked her over.

"Hey, Aya. Where do you live? your parents must be worried sick about you young lady." Walker asked, knowing he had too but also knowing the answer that was likely to come out of the poor kids mouth; but he had to make sure right even if it brought up painful memories for the poor sweet girl.

The reaction was instant, but far less dramatic than what Walker expected; small tears flowed down Aya's cheeks as she looked up at the gruff looking soldier. "T-t-they're n-not with me anymore." The young girl whispered as she looked down, fidgeting a bit as new tears began to flow; streaming down her face as she played with the dressing on her finger.

"Hey, it's alright; I understand you don't have to talk about it alright." Walker couldn't help but pat the girls head as he thought of what to do with her, he needed a source of information about the surrounding area and whatever this strange land he found himself trapped within was called the soldier having decided that this was no longer anywhere near Dubai or Earth for that matter. Aya might prove to be a valuable source of info and Walker had already gained her trust, so she might be more inclined to follow the Delta operator now. The Soldier shook his head as soon as that thought entered his mind, he'd been down that road before endangering civilians and it had cost him his humanity in the process.

"Is there anywhere I can bring you Aya? Do you know anybody close by?" Walker asked though he once again guessed the answer as soon as the words left his stupid mouth, the kid shaking her head as she looked up at the soldier with wide, bright eyes.

"Please don't leave me! Take me with you, I know healing magic and I won't be a burden I promise!" She cried out as she begged Walker, the little girl wrapping herself around one of Walkers arms causing him to wince as her small body pressed against one of Walkers many burns. The girl seemed to notice this, backing off slightly as she looked down at Martin's arm in awe, as if noticing his many wounds for the first time the small child reached out tracing her fingers down the nasty looking burn as she looked at Walker with a sad expression. It was then that a soft blue glow began to form near where her hand met his injured arm; Martin watched as the skin began to knit itself back together before the soldiers very eyes flinching slightly as he felt some slight pain coming from the burn.

As the girl worked with her apparent magic, Walker couldn't help but let the stray thoughts that had been building up within his mind as he looked away from the burn on his arm. The girl was obviously homeless and starving on the streets in this village and the people here seemed to be in no rush to help the poor girl for whatever reason, the soldier couldn't say he had any idea what an Oni was but what he saw before him wasn't a monster it was just a poor girl scared and alone without anyone to care for her.

It was a scene that Martin had seen many times within Dubai and even in Kabul, children were usually the worst hit in a warzone; their parents caught in the crossfire and if the kid wasn't shot themself, their small forms usually allowed them to escape into places that adults couldn't reach. Once their parents were gone though, there wasn't much for the child to do, they couldn't support themselves being so young and much like Aya who sat beside him as she continued her work.

Walker couldn't help but feel sorry for her, the girl seemed to be doing the best she could given the circumstances she found herself in and as Walker looked around the alleyway really looking for the first time, he noticed a small open crate with a raggedy looking blanket within that must have served as her shelter from and inside there was a small stuffed facsimile of a cat that lay near the blanket; most likely a childhood toy that the girl had managed to save. Walker's icey blue eyes stared at the toy as he felt his body slowly relax for the first time in days, whatever the girl was doing to him; it gave the soldier a strange sense of peace that seemed to fill his soul with light for just a moment.

Still though, if she wanted to come Walker guessed the girl could just follow him if he said no which would make a bad situation even worse

Martin couldn't help but stare at his once burned arm now fully healed before his very eyes, there was still a nasty scar on his arm and a slight tingling sensation that caused Walker to scratch the scar, before looking down at the girl who looked up at the soldier with a nervous but hopeful expression as Walker stared into those crimson red eyes of hers. "Alright, I guess you can come; but you have to listen to everything I tell you alright." Walker stated firmly as he continued staring at his newly healed arm, flexing his fingers and extending his arm to its full length in order to test out the newly repaired muscles before looking back at Aya. "And I need you to tell me everything you know about this place, starting with what country this is."

"This country? This country is known as the Kingdom of Lugnica and its capital is known as Lugnica as well, It's one of the four great nations but I don't really know all that much about the other ones." She said looking away from the soldier as if she were ashamed about that last part, Walker nodded patting the girls head with his now uninjured arm as the soldier looked up at the night sky the sun having set just a few moments ago leaving just a hint of blue and purple in the sky as the darkness of night began to take over.

"Lugnica, eh? You've never heard of countries like the United States or Japan have you?" Walker asked pulling some countries from Earth off the top of his head in order to quiz the young girl slightly.

Aya shook her head as she looked up at the worn down soldier. "N-no , are you from one of those places?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about it alright, it just turns out I'm a longer way from home then I first thought; but I could guess that from this village here. There's nothing like this where I come from."

"R-really? What is your country like?" Aya asked nervously fidgeting with her ragged dress as Walker smiled softly before letting out a sigh as he thought back to Dubai, the warzone of a city was far worse a place then this even if it had once been a shining example of humanity's ability to build even in the most inhospitable environments.

"It's ...different." Walker said through gritted teeth, forcing a smile as he knew that the girl meant no harm by it; she couldn't have known the memories it would bring up for the soldier.

"O-ok." Aya said before falling silent, the little girl looking down as if she had been caught doing something wrong and was currently receiving a scolding from her father.

"You sure you want to come with me Aya, It'll be a long walk and you'll probably never see this village again." Walker warned as he watched the girl for any falter in her resolve when it came to that choices of hers.

"Yes! Please take me with you, it's so lonely here and no one ever talks to me! They all just kick me around like those mean boys and I probably can't stay here now that those boys have been hurt." She added that last part with a nervous laugh, Walker face palming once he heard that his actions had once again put someone's life in possible jeopardy.

"**Always marching on without thinking, the same as always Captain Walker; first your men and now this girl, how many more will have to suffer I wonder."** Konrad's voice echoed inside of Martins skull, the accusing voice causing the normally hardened Delta operator to flinch as he slammed his fist against the wall of the building he was leaning against in frustration because he knew the voice was right and now Walker had to take responsibility for his actions if he didn't want to go down the same path he had before.

Walkers allowed some time to pass before he gave his answer, mulling the thought over in his head before looking over at the girl. "Alright, you can come with me; if you can use a bit more of that healing magic as you called on my legs, that can at least get us moving quicker if the villagers decide they want recompense for those boys injuries."

"S-sure! I can try, my healing abilities aren't that great though; my Mommy taught my the basics but….."

"Yeah, I get it you don't have to continue." Walker replied with a soft sigh. "Alright, do what you can but be quick about it; the village is going to be breathing down our necks any second now." Pulling a flash bang off of his belt, Walker held the stun grenade in one hand and his M4A1 in his other hand as the girl went to work repairing Walker's mangled legs; the Delta operator silently praying that whatever magic this kid was working had the ability to heal his legs at least slightly so Walker could begin walking normally again.

"T-there, Mr. Walker; I did my best but you should really take it easy, mommy always said that rest was the best healer." Aya said nervously as she brushed some of her long crimson hair from her eyes.

"Well, don't think we're gonna be able to rest for a little bit." Walker replied as the sound of multiple footsteps approaching the duo's position reached the soldiers ears, causing his muscles to tense up as Walker got to his feet, with the pain finally mitigated slightly the American soldier was finally able to get some good footing as whomever or whatever was approaching their position, finally turned the corner into the alleyway.

It was a group of villagers, some of which Martin had seen on his way into the village; all of them wielding either pitchforks or torches, all of which now being used to threaten Walker and his new charge. Quickly picking up Aya, causing the young girl to squeak as Walker placed the girl on his back; allowing her to cling on to his shoulders as he raised his M4A1 in his dominant hand to meet the Villagers own threat of violence.

The tension between the two groups was finally broken when one of the men, an older gentleman stepped forwards with his pitchfork the sharp end of the farming tool pointed directly at Walkers torso as the white haired man spoke to the soldier, venom clearly laced within the tone of his voice as he spoke. "Are you the stranger who attacked our children, you should know we don't take kindly to people who attack us around here." The man spat as Walker hooked his thumb into the pin of his flashbang.

"Then you should teach your children not to attack a poor defenseless little girl." Walker spat back, refusing to give any ground to the crowd as Aya peeked over his shoulder, shaking against Martins back in fear as she let out a small squeak.

"That girl as you call her is a child of demons, she is an evil thing full of malice and we now realize we have tolerated her presence within our village for too long; such a kindness should have never been shown to an Oni." The man replied, gripping his pitchfork tightly. "Now, set down the child, we will let you live and forgive your transgression if you do."

"Meaning your going to kill the kid then, is that right?" Walker shot back.

"She is a thing of evil that must be purged, that is the way of things."

"Then, I have one answer for you." Walker said as he used his thumb to pull the pin from the stun grenade in his off hand, before tossing it at the feet of the older man.

"You all enjoy that parting gift." Walker yelled as he bolted down the alleyway, bursting out the other side as the flashbang went off in an explosion of bright light; blinding the mob temporarily as Walker made his way back to the entrance of the village.

He began firing his weapon into the air to confuse and frighten those who were not caught in the flashbangs blast; the sound of his M4A1 firing into the air echoing throughout the entire village as several screams echoed from other parts of the village, most likely in response to the loud noise. Even Aya screamed, most likely because she wasn't used to the sound of the rifle causing her to cling to Walkers back tighter as he turned down another alleyway, making his way back to the main road.

His boots dug into the soft dirt below as the soldier forced his body to push itself to the upper limits of what it could do with the amount of injuries he had sustained within Dubai; the delta operative controlled his breathing as he turned onto the main road, sprinting through the center of the village towards the main gate.

The gate appeared to be guarded by two villagers wielding pitchforks much to Walkers annoyance, as soon as they spotted the duo attempting to make their escape the two men made their way to block their attempt at escape.

"Damn it, get the fuck out of the way you mother fuckers!" Walker screamed hoarsely, his throat dry as the desert sand of Dubai as he fired his weapon into the air once again; the loud noise causing the villagers to become dazed and confused as the delta operative unhooked another flashbang from his belt.

Tossing the stun grenade between the two men, Walker quickly pushed throat their formation using his right shoulder to push his way through their blockade. Walker sprinted down the main road, trying to put as much distance between the village and himself as possible; Aya's body thumping against his back.

"Don't look back Aya!" Walker yelled to the girl clinging to his back as he pushed harder and harder to throw the villagers off their trail.

"But! Mr. Walker!"

"I said don't look back!" As Walker replied the flashbang he had thrown went off, causing another explosion of light to engulf the village gate blinding the two guards as Walker turned towards the forest he had been walking through just an hour earlier, hoping that the two grenades had blinded and confused enough people to allow the pair to escape into the forest without the threat of being followed.

But even with that precaution, Walker still pushed himself to go as deep into the forest as possible; wanting to put even more distance between himself, Aya and that damned village of idiots.

After a few minutes the soldier began to slow down, the thicker brush deep in the bowels of the forest making it next to impossible for the soldier to move as quick as he'd like; forcing him to be careful as he stepped over fallen tree branches, rocks and small shrubs lest he accidentally trip and fall. Walker wasn't so much worried about himself, but his charge on his back probably wouldn't take the fall as well as the delta operative; speaking of which Walker noticed that the girl had been awfully quiet most likely the situation in the village

"You alright back there?" Walker asked, hoping the girl would answer; the last thing he needed was for her to run off and get hurt because of him; he didn't want another soul dying because of his reckless actions again.

"Y-yeah, I-I don't know about the villagers though, that strange magic you threw at them made all of them collapse on the ground in pain." Aya responded, sounding a bit sad as she spoke to the soldier. Walker had to give her credit, the girl had a big heart; the naivety of youth he harkend a guess too be able to forgive and worry about those people even after they tried to put her to death spoke a lot about her character to the Soldier.

"Don't worry, those things I threw aren't lethal; just meant to blind them temporarily." Walker explained as he readjusted the small girl on his back as she had begun sliding down his back slightly due to his loosening grip on Aya's small body.

"A-are you sure?" she asked not sounding too convinced as she tightened her grip on Walkers back, her nails digging into his skin slightly as Walker winced slightly; luckily no blood was drawn but it still hurt like hell given how long her unkempt fingernails were.

Walker couldn't help but chuckle at the girls earnest nature before replying. "I'm sure, don't worry; I've used them many times before." Walker conveniently left out what usually happened after the stun grenade went off, as usually the person blinded by the flash was dropped by a hail of gunfire quickly afterwards, but a young girl like Aya didn't need to know that.

They continued walking, the weight of Aya on Martins back causing very little trouble for the soldier as the girl was so light; nothing like the pack Walker had carried in basic training. "Still, it had to be a little bit of fun; am I right I'm sure their having fun with their little light show right now." Walker said trying to lighten the mood a bit as he continued walking, his booted foot snapping a small branch as Walker and Aya moved deeper into the forest.

"Y-y-yeah, but I-I think it would be bad if I laughed." Aya said with a small giggle as she rode along on Walkers back, covering her mouth as the young child blushed slightly.

"Hehe, well alright then. Our next stop is the capital city alright Aya; you ready?"

"Yes! Mr. Walker! It should be in that direction." She said pointing in a direction that lead into a much less dense section of the forest as Walker smiled, something he seemed to be doing a lot more recently; not that Walker was complaining mind you it was better than the alternative that followed him throughout the city of Dubai.

"Alright, then let's get moving."

And with that, Captain Martin Walker headed towards the Capital of the Kingdom of Lugnica with Aya nestled into his back and a strange, pleasant feeling welling in the soldiers darkened heart.

He only hoped he could make it last.


	2. Chapter 2: New Charge

Question for you readers out there, who if anybody should Walker romance, if you don't think he should romance anyone then that is an option as well; and I will say I am not afraid of taking the trap route if someone can provide me with a logical reason for that too happen, or nonsensical. LOL.

I would also like to thank the users of Quora for helping me when it came to choosing which weapon to use for hunting in this chapter.

Walker had taken quite the winding path through the forest, hoping to throw anyone with the inclination to chase both him and the small girl Aya on his back after that small scuffle within that unknown village. Not that Walker wanted to learn the name mind you, that was one town he knew both he and Aya would not be welcome in anytime in the near future. So they continued on with what little Walker which wasn't much, even when his team first arrived in Dubai they had traveled light, not expecting to stay in the city long and if it weren't for Walkers own Hero complex it would have been an alright plan for that mission. But now, all he really had were his weapons, one two flash grenades left as well as a full belt of his lethal options.

But that was about it, the soldier guessed he would have to begin hunting in these woods though he had no idea where to even start when it came to which animals were good to eat and which were not; this new world he found himself in was so alien from the one he had left that Walker wasn't sure he could even trust many of the plants around him as he made his way through the woods. It was for that reason that Walker was almost glad he had Aya with him as the small girl could at least help him pick out which animals were usually used for food in her world. The plants on the other hand would have to be figured out at a later date as Walker had no ambition to start randomly taste testing plants in order to find out if they were poisoned or not.

"**Hope the rest of the 33rd is figuring this out as well."** The soldier thought to himself as he continued along the small game trail he had been following through the forest, hoping that it would lead Walker and Aya to a main road that they could begin to follow towards the capital as while Aya could give him the general direction he had to go; Walker found himself wanting to follow a road so he would not have to bush whack his way through the forest for the foreseeable future.

"The main road should be coming up soon Mr. Walker." Aya said with a small squeak as Walker pushed her up his back, making sure the young child was comfortable in the position on the soldiers back as he pushed through some particularly thick underbrush; Walker using his arm to move the branches of the tree's out of the way so they wouldn't hit Aya in the face when Walker pushed through them.

"Alright Aya, thank you. You feeling alright though? Not too tired or anything?" Walker asked, he had been walking most of the night with the girl on his back and the soldier had to admit his heavily scarred body was beginning to feel the pain of the work he was putting it through, his muscles had begun to produce a dull ache that caused Walker to clench his teeth as he pushed on.

"I am getting a little tired." The small girl said with a soft yawn as she pressed the side of her face against Walkers back, smiling a bit as the soldier raised an eyebrow slightly.

"You want to stop and camp here for the night then Aya? I'm going to have to hunt for our food anyways and I'm guessing we're still a long way from the capital, so might as well rest for the night to regain our strength for the days ahead." Walker asked as he came to what looked to be a small clearing, the perfect spot to set up a campfire and maybe even build a small shelter so they could at least be protected from most of the elements at night.

Setting down his weapons, Walker placed them too one side making sure there were still close by so he could reach them if the villagers found them even after their long hike through the forest or if some animals decided that they seemed like a good snack while they rested and recovered.

"I-If you want too Mr. Walker." Aya replied sounding almost a bit sad as Walker set her down, allowing the girl to stand on her own two feet as Walker began to look around for suitable wood to start a fire with.

"I know I want too, my body has been aching ever since the village." Walker said jokingly with a small laugh as he looked over at the crimson haired girl, her body seemed to shine in the moonlight as Walker watched her begin to follow his example though the wood she gathered was much smaller than what the soldier was able to carry.

Martin hadn't noticed up until now what with everything going on and him just meeting this small girl a few hours ago in that poor excuse for a medieval village, but Aya's hair seemed to shine in the moonlight her hair taking on an almost ethereal quality as she gathered up small sticks and dried leaves around her, along with a few rocks that could be used to keep control of the fire and prevent it from spreading to places they didn't want them to go. **"Makes me wish I had my own kid."** Walker thought to himself, though he had to admit with his line of work even before Dubai it would have been a stupid proposition.

But now, he doubted he had any business raising a kid and as Walker looked away not wanting to stare at the young girl for too long; he began to wonder if he even deserved the happiness that came with having a family. He was a monster to his very core now and he doubted that anyone would want to shack up with him once they knew what happened in Dubai, the thought fell to the wayside much to Walkers happiness, focusing on the here and now was what he was good at and the situation definitely required him to be focused on the here and now.

As they finished setting up their small fire pit, Walker pulled a small lighter from one of the many pockets on his BDU that had yet to be either melted away by fire or destroyed by the heavy combat. Using the dried up leaves as tinder, the Delta Operative lit the dried leaves he had placed at the center of the small wooden teepee he had created with the thin sticks he had found on the ground.

"Ooooooooo!" Aya exclaimed as she watched Walker flicks the lighter on, the small flame from the device lighting the dried leaves up until the small fire pit they had created blazed with a fiery brilliance as the wood within the pit caught fire.

"How did you do that?! I didn't sense any mana generation from your body or in the air! It's like the flame just appeared out of nowhere when you used that thing!?" Aya asked as she looked up at Walker with bright crimson eyes before looking back at the fire with a look of awe on her face.

"This thing?" Walker asked with a soft chuckle as he produced the small lighter in the palm of his hand, allowing Aya too look at it with her crimson orbs as she stared with awe as Walker flicked the small lighter, a flame appearing from the small hole at the top of the device as the flint within lit the buitane.

"It's called a lighter." Walker explained as he let the flame disappear from sight, not wanting to waste too much fuel as he looked down at Aya, her look of awe causing the American soldier to chuckle slightly as he patted her soft head of crimson hair.

"H-how does it work Mr. Walker?" Aya asked with a sot whine as she closed her eyes, almost seeming to begrudgingly accept Walkers headpats as the Delta operative smirked slightly at the younger girls antics.

"Well, you see it uses science; a small amount of fuel within the lighter is ignited by a small stone that causes sparks when it is rubbed against some metal, this causes the lighter to produce a flame thus enabling us to have a fire." Walker explained gesturing to the newly created fire before them as Aya looked at it with wide eyes.

"Is that some special item from your country!? I bet it's really really expensive right?" Aya blurted out, asking several questions at once as Walker rubbed the back of his head; now wishing he had started the fire the old fashion way as the lighter had brought up many questions from the girl that he didn't know how to explain.

"Well, where I come from these things are pretty cheaply made Aya, you could buy one with some pocket change most likely; though around here I bet it would be worth more than its weight in gold coins or whatever this country uses for currency." Walker explained, trying his best to be as vague as possible as he slipped the lighter into one of his BDU's many pockets, even with it being half destroyed the pockets around his waist were still mostly intact.

"Really?! That's so cool! Your homeland sounds awesome ! I never knew devices like that could exist!"

"Oh, it's not all that good; we still have plenty of problems we need to sort out." Walker said with a soft smile, he knew he was putting it lightly to say the least the world he had come from was one with little care for people like Aya, much like this world he found himself in now most would pass by homeless kids like Aya without a second thought about who they were or why they ended up there.

"Anyways Aya, you know you don't have to call me Mr. Walker; Martin or Walker is just fine, your making me feel older than I am." Walker said with a chuckle, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head; hoping the girl wouldn't notice him desperately trying to change the subject.

"O-o-oh, s-sorry Mr...I mean Walker, I just thought since you seem much older then me...not that your old...I mean ...It's just…..Ahhhhhhhhh!" Aya seemed to just shut down at that point, her cheeks turning a rosey red as she cupped each side of her face with both of her hands embarrassed as she looked away from Walker, still stuttering and shaking as the soldier raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, it's alright Aya; you just don't have to be so formal with me; your my partner in this mission, not my servant or whatever." Walker said calmly, smiling a bit as he pulled her a bit closer to him; the delta operative letting out a soft yawn as he leaned back against one of the trees that surrounded the clearing the two of them found themselves in letting the newly created fire warm his tired body as he felt Aya curl up next to him, one of her small hands clutching the damaged fabric of his BDU as she let out her own rather cute yawn.

"A-alright, Walker…..*Yawn.*" Aya mumbled as she rubbed one of her eyes as she clung to Walker like a child would her father if she thought he was going to leave her as soon as she fell asleep. "Y-you know, your a really nice man; I'm g-glad I met you today." Aya mumbled as she nuzzled into the soldiers side, apparently ready to drift off as Walker reached down to stroke her head.

"I'm not all that good of a man Aya…..I can promise you that." Walker muttered to himself as he looked into the flames of the now roaring fire pit.

"Hey Aya….." Walker paused mid sentence as he looked down at the young girl, the soldier shutting his mouth quickly as he noticed Aya had fallen asleep; leaving the wounded soldier alone with his own mind as he reached for a long fallen stick, using it as a poker for the firepit.

The American soldier let out a yawn as he looked own at Aya, sleeping form once again; smirking as he felt the young girl clutch his left side a bit tighter her head laying upon the ruined chest plate of his BDU like it was the softest thing in the world to her.

Walker still couldn't believe the young girl trusted him, the soldier who had torn Dubai asunder and killed mercilessly in a vendetta that left him broken within the tallest tower of Dubai and forced both the 33rd and the remaining civilians within Dubai too scatter and yet here he was, protecting a young girl from villagers he barely knew charging in head on once again without thinking and without any form of backup.

And yet this girl trusted him too take care of her, to feed her, cloth her and protect her from the dangers of this new world he found himself stuck within. It was a responsibility that Walker never thought he would have, being career military and never having children or even a steady relationship were children could have been possible.

He didn't want to get too close to her though, he couldn't, he wouldn't allow her to see the monster he was inside and that was a solemn vow that Walker made to himself right there and then; part of him needed this girl to trust him. The part that still believed that he could still do good, despite what he had done; at the very least it was a step on the path of atonement and Walker knew it would most likely be a path he would be walking for the rest of his life given the fact that there was no United States military around here too bring him to justice and even if he was able to link up with the 33rd he doubted they could find a way to bring them back home.

So he was stuck here, atoning.

And he would atone.

As God as his witness he would atone for what he had done.

"Adams take out the lookout." Walker ordered as he raised his M4A1, ready to fire if the 33rd noticed their movements around the Gate, Adams quickly moving behind the 33rd lookout the larger man slipping his combat knife from its sheath as he crept up behind the lookout before plunging the blade into the soldiers throat; Adams slipping his hand over the 33rd soldiers mouth to prevent the man from screaming as blood began to flow from the open throat wound.

"Sweet dreams, bitch." Adams muttered as he slid his knife from the man's throat.

The soldier died in Adams arms as Walker and Lugo moved up behind him, Adams laying the soldier down to prevent any noise as the other two took cover behind the sandbags that made up the overlook position. "Alright Lugo, what are we up against?" Walker asked as the delta sniper peaked over the sandbags to get a look at the enemy forces below them.

"An Army, give or take." Lugo replied much to the man's obvious chagrin.

"No shit." Walker said as he peeked over the sandbags, easily spotting the massive amount of troops stationed at the Gate them along with the Hummers and Strykers would cause more than a headache for the small delta team.

"How we gettin' through this?" Lugo asked as he ducked back down in an effort not to be seen by the 33rd as Walker began to think, they didn't have the manpower to take out the Gate on their own without significant firepower; the Delta operative began to wish for an AC-130 right about now as that was one of the only things he could think of that could deal with both the troops and the armor protecting the strong point below.

"This might help." Adams interjected as the larger man pointed at a nearby mortar.

Walker couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as he spotted the mortar, it wasn't the weapon itself that caught his attention; but rather the rounds that had been stored next to the emplacement.

They were white phosphorus, rounds that were usually used as a way to camouflage troop movements and illuminate certain areas. Atleast, according to international law that was what they were supposed to be used for; but as they had already seen in this hellscape of a city the 33rd held no such restrictions against using the mortars as a weapon against the civilian rebels.

Walker had seen those people after they had been subjected to the mortar rounds, their flesh burned and charred; clothes melted into wounds from the intense heat of the chemical flames. All the while, they were unable to put the fire out, it tore through their clothing and stuck itself to skin; burning its way through muscle and bone with its intense heat as whomever it attached itself too suffered an agonizing death that they couldn't escape from.

It was a horrible weapon.

But it was the only thing that could even begin to give them a chance of taking the Gate from the 33rd. "Alright set it up." Martin ordered as he and Adams began to move towards the mortar.

"Your fucking joking right?! You two have seen what this shit can do and your just gonna use it without a second thought?" Lugo interjected as he stared down both men, the sergeant obviously apprehensive about using such a weapon even if the 33rd had already shown they would use it on them.

"We might not have a choice Lugo." Adams shot back as he set up the mortar, positioning the launcher on its stand; burying the legs in a soft sand a bit so the Mortar would stay on target and not jump when it was fired.

"There's always a choice." Lugo shot back, spitting onto the soft sand as he approached the mortar slowly as if it were a venomous snake that could bite him at any moment.

"No, there's really not, now come on let's set it up." Walker ordered his voice becoming more forceful as he began to run the targeting laptop through its boot up sequence.

"It's that an order…...sir." Lugo replied venom laced within the tone of his voice as he grabbed the shell containing the mortars targeting camera.

"Yeah, it fucking is Lugo now can it and launch that camera." Walker shot back, his icy blue eyes digging into the younger man as the Sergeant finally relented before sliding the camera shell down into the launcher tube.

"Roger that, launching camera." Lugo replied almost robotically, Walker didn't pay it any mind though all he needed the Sergeant to do was follow orders and do his job right; if he wanted to ask Lugo what he thought they should do at the moment he would have come out and asked the Sergeant directly. A small thunk was all that was heard as the camera shell launched into the air, letting out a puff of smoke as the camera deployed its parachute; allowing to to float above the Gate.

"Camera online…..Sir." Lugo spat as he held a mortar shell in one of his hands, ready to load in when ordered as Adam's took up a supporting position in an attempt to draw enemy fire away from Lugo and Walkers position as two men took deep breaths, preparing themselves both mentally and physically for the hell they were about to unleash upon the 33rd's position.

"Look! Up there!"

"Intruders! Take them down!"

Gunfire echoed throughout the Gate as the 33rd spotted the trio of delta operatives finished their preparing of the mortar, the laptop screen that served as the mortars targeting computer lighting up as Walker prepared to fire the first shell. "Alright, targeting online. Everybody ready?"

"Whenever you are Walker!" Adams replied as he took cover behind the sandbags, bullets burying themselves into the thick wall of sand and polypropylene as Lugo primed the shell before he loaded the mortar shell into the weapons chamber as Walker selected his first target, the group of Stryker LAV's that had taken up positions near the front of the Gate and were currently being used as a cover for a large group of American soldiers as they took pot shots as the in cover delta operatives.

A small thump was all that it took, then suddenly the Gate was engulfed in fire and mayhem as the White phosphorus mortar exploded above the soldiers below, it didn't matter if they were behind cover or not. Nothing could stop the phosphorus as he stuck to everything it touched, like the devils hands that refused to let go once they got ahold of you.

Walker could already hear the screams, the soldier wincing slightly before his features hardened in the reflection of the monitor before him. Walker knew he had just unleashed pandora's box by firing at the first round, but there was no time to think in the Delta operators mind.

"Load another shell and fire on that fountain!" Walker yelled out as Lugo slid another of the phosphorus shells, the younger man muttering under his breath as Walker head another heavy puff as the shell was launched up into the air; only to moments later release its load of chemical flames as they scattered over the fountain as thick white smoke began to drift with the wind, carrying the screams of dying soldiers along with it.

One after another Walker launched shell after shell of White phosphorus, until finally the camera floated over the Gate proper; revealing a large group of heat signatures that Walker guessed were 33rd soldiers still in hiding as they attempted to avoid the ever spreading fire that consumed the rest of the camp.

"Alright Lugo, last one." Walker nodded as the younger man remained silent, grimacing slightly as he slid the mortar down the tube of the launcher; seconds later a small puff of the shell launched from the weapon could be heard followed by the sound of the mortar releasing its toxic, superheated payload as the thick white smoke continued to spread throughout the camp.

The flames began to build as Walker watched from afar as the screams continued to filter through the smoke as he watched, his eyes tearing up from the smoke as Walker pulled the piece of cloth he used to block sand from his mouth over the lower part of his face in order to filter the toxic smoke slightly as Martin looked around for Lugo and Adams; the two other delta operators were nowhere to be seen as Walker reached for his weapon only to have his M4A1 disappear in a cloud of sand.

"What the hell." Martin muttered to himself as he looked around for his comrades.

"Open your eyes Walker." A voice muttered as Walker turned to face a wall of flames that had formed behind him, within it stood a shadowy corpse but as it began to shamble forwards its twisted limbs sinking into the sand that lay below its burned combat boots. Walkers eyes widened as he recognized the burned face of Lugo, the young man's jaw appeared to be dislocated and half of his body appeared to have been consumed by flames with patches of burned flesh exposed by his tattered BDU as he made his way towards Walker.

The smell was what hit him next, the smell of death as the flames and screams continued to build consuming the buildings around Walker and the camp itself leaving Walker to stand within the eye of this firestorm as Lugo continued to shamble his way towards Martin.

"We need you too see, what you've done." Lugo said as he continued his death march towards his captain, Walker was unable to move through all of this as he watched Lugo get closer the man reaching out towards Walker as he let out a scream.

"You turned us into **FUCKING KILLERS!"**

Walker woke with a scream, attempting to smother the non-existent flames that covered his body as he rolled away from the tree he had been sleeping under; reaching for the holster that contained his .44 magnum as he cocked the hammer back on the revolver. Walker felt his head hit a stone on the ground as he began to look around for threats, pointing the muzzle of his weapon every which way as his eyes scanned the area that surrounded the small camp. The fire had died our hours ago thanks to Walker falling asleep much earlier then he wanted too, the soldier silently cursing himself out as his mind returned to what passed for calm within Walkers head.

Sound slowly began to return too Walker as well as his heart rate dropped like a stone in a river,. "God damn it." Walker muttered to himself as he slid his weapon back into his holster as he heard Aya let out a soft yawn as she rubbed her eyes, the young girl slowly waking up as Walker began to get too his feet; dusting himself off from his recent mental break as he looked down at the child.

"Uuuuahhhhhhh….Walker, Why did you wake up so early, I'm…..still so…..tired." She said as she looked up at Walker with squinted, tired eyes; her hair seemed to also have a terrible case of bed head from sleeping on Walkers BDU plate.

"Sorry kid, Just a dream that woke me up is all, everythings alright you can go back to bed, I need to go hunt down some breakfast for us anyways." Walker replied in a soft tone, trying his best to allow the young homeless orphan some much needed rest as he made his way over to his stash of weapons as the little girl nodded, unwilling to argue as she curled up on the ground that lay below the tree that Walker had been sleeping under the girl shivering as a cool morning breeze filtered through the tree's as Walker took inventory of his current weapon and ammo situation.

He didn't have much that was for sure, he had used half a magazine when he fired his M4A1 in order to scatter the villagers in his escape with Aya; along with two flash bang grenades that left him with only two of the stun weapons left along with eight of his lethal options ranging from frag to sticky.

He possessed around fifty shells for his M1014, along with six magazines for his M4A1 plus the half magazine that still lay within the weapon, he also possessed forty rounds for his revolver as well as three full magazines for his .50 Barrett. He had enough ammo for the moment, but Walker also knew that without the supplies that the 33rd had scavenged from the ruins of Dubai that none of the ammunition he had now would be replaced.

So Walker had to be careful, especially if he had to hunt for food for both him and Aya as the two of them needed the energy for the journey ahead of them. "I just hope the 33rd is out there somewhere, gathering together and staying put; because without them I don't know how long we'll survive." Walker muttered to himself as he reached down, picking up his M4 as he pulled the bolt back on the weapon checking the chamber before sliding the bolt back into place.

The weapon was neither made for hunting nor did it possess any sort of sighting that would make killing game easier, Walker would have to get up close and aim with his iron sights if he wanted to get food for both him and his charge; the soldier only hoped that the hunting he did as a kid with his family would come back to him as he began to move towards thick brush of the forest that lay beyond the small clearing.

The soldier stopped for a moment as he looked back at Aya, Walker raising his eyebrows and smiling as he watched the young girl sleep on the cold ground; the morning dew surrounding her small body as she shivered slightly causing the soldier to let out a sigh as he looked around. He knew they would need some equipment if they were going to be sleeping outdoors, some sort of blanket and something to lay their heads on would be nice given that Walker already felt stiff from sleeping on the ground all night.

"Guess I should give her something to lay her head on." Walker whispered softly to himself as he unhooked his plate carrier from his BDU, the telltale ripping sound of velcro echoing throughout the clearing as Walker slipped the kevlar plating out from the front of the tattered fabric; slowly moving towards Aya's sleeping form before bending down on one knee and slipping the plate carrier under her head.

With that done Walker turned to leave, not noticing the small smile forming on Aya's face as she wrapped her arms around the plate carrier; the small girl snuggling the protective equipment like it was the softest thing in the world.

Walker grunted as he jumped down a steep ledge, stepping over a fallen tree that lay at the bottom of the ledge as the soldier made his way through the forest Aya and himself found themselves traveling through. The soldier would have rathered traveling on the main roads, but given the trouble they had caused in Aya's village along with the fact that Walker didn't actually know which way the roads went; taking a more direct route to the capital through the forest using Aya as his guide seemed like the safer option.

reaching down to his belt as he looked for fresh tracks he could follow in order to find both him and Aya some breakfast, his M4A1 jostling against his chest as the weapon hung by the leather leather sling. Walker turned his radio on, turning it too one of the short range frequencies used frequently by the US military as he picked his way through the forest being careful not to stray too far from the game trails as Walker needed to be able to find his way back to Aya afterwards.

It was then that an idea popped into his head, like a stray thought floating with the breeze that Walker had plucked out of the air as he moved through the densely wooded area, letting out a grunt as he felt a few pine needles prick against his scarred skin as he made his way past he could only hope that the wounds healed soon as he couldn't stand how they hindered his movement.

"This is Captain Martin Walker, United States Delta Operative; any Damned 33rd out there, who are listening to this channel, please respond immediately." Walker said into his comm, his earpiece producing only static as the delta force captain let out an annoyed grunt; switching his radio off in order to preserve the devices battery power as the soldier continued moving through the forest.

He knew he had to find the 33rd no matter what and it was then that Walker resolved to try the radio at least once every morning as he made his way through the forest, he could only hope that the 33rd came to that same conclusion as while a lot of them most likely had more power than him thanks to their vehicles; but Walker knew that they would also realize that it wouldn't last forever.

Or at least he could only hope they did.

Pushing forward Walker continued to move through the forest, looking for any sign of animal tracks or disturbances that he could use to track down breakfast for both him and Aya; his stomach grumbling from the lack of food as Walker realized it had been a few days since he had properly eaten a full meal, his stomach once again voicing its displeasure at that fact as he moved through the forest with renewed vigour, hoping to find some animal that he could cook for food as Walker would rather not have to forage for plants as he had no idea if any of the plants within this new world he found himself in were poisonous and that was a death he would rather avoid, any death was preferable to that within Walkers mind.

It was then that the soldier found a rather large stream, it wasn't too far away from the camp so Walker made a mental note of it for later as it would be a good source for water and a possible bath; part of him wanted to just take a dip and relax, but still he had work to do for both him and his new charge as such Walker continued onwards on his hunt; his weapon still rubbing against his chest as he moved through the forest; the only noise from the delta operative being the sound of his boots crushing leaves and small twigs beneath their soles as a gust of morning wind brushed the side of his face.

Birds chirped above the delta operative as he moved through the trees, looking for any signs of tracks or dens which might have contained small rodents; Walker knew they didn't need much given that they would be back on the road soon but if he managed to bag a deer or some larger animal like that he could use the skin to fashion some sort of bag in order to bring the meat with them as he doubted he would be able to hunt every night given his limited ammunition supplies.

As Walker came to what appear to be game trail, the soldier slipped his rifle sling off of his body as he made his way down the well worn trail, noticing hoof prints that appeared to be rather fresh mixed in with the older prints that made up the game trail.

pushing through a particularly thick piece of brush Walker quickly ducked down as he spotted the deer, using the push he was passing through for cover as the soldier flicked the safety off on his rifle.

the deer was a smaller doe, probably less then a year and a half old Walker guessed as he looked down the iron sights of his rifle; watching as the deer looked around flicking her ears back and forth, listening for predators before slowly leaning down to eat some grass her eyes continued to scan the wooded area she found herself within.

Taking a deep breath to steady his aim, Walker placed his finger on the trigger of his weapon; he knew he might have to get several shots off in order to take even the doe down as the military issued 5.56 ammo within his weapon was never meant to be used for hunting.

But given his current situation and need to eat, Walker wasn't concerned at the moment about wasting meat. Waiting for the wind to calm, Walker followed with his sights of iron.

The weapon let out three barks as Walker pulled the trigger of his M4A1, the young doe with the sights of his weapon; before finally squeezing the trigger of his weapon as she came to a stop amongst another patch of green grass. The sound of gunfire echoed through the forest as Walker let out a small three round burst from his weapon, aiming for the doe's center mass as the deer feed in a heap of blood.

Walker could tell it was still alive even before he moved, the cries of the deer and the sound of gunfire causing the birds in the area to scatter as the Delta force operative began to move towards the wounded animal, unsheathing his combat knife from the sheath that lay on the side of his belt as the soldier stood over the corpse the deer looking him directly in the eye as she panted on the cold ground.

"Sorry girl, I hope you find peace." Walker muttered a silent prayer as he kneeled on one knee, giving the injured doe a soft pet on the side of her neck as blood flowed from the three bullet wounds; the rounds had passed right through like they were designed to do, but they had never been designed to hunt animals and as such here Walker was having to finish the job he started once again.

Sliding his knife between the deer's chest as he didn't want to waste any more ammo than needed, the blade pierced the heart of the animal as the deer finally stopped breathing; laying on the ground dead as Walker hefted the corpse letting out a loud grunt as he felt the pain of his wounds from Dubai begin to scream as their healing was interrupted by the exertion he was putting his body through.

It was tough going getting back to camp, but Walker managed to do it within the hour and he was surprised as he walked into the clearing only to find Aya, wrapped around his plate carrier as she continued to sleep; a small smile on her face as she buried her nose into Walker's plate carrier causing the soldier to raise an eyebrow as he set the dead doe down on the ground opposite to where she was sleeping.

Quietly Walker got to work skinning the animal, he knew he wouldn't be able to carry all of the meat what with his lack of a backpack or any other form ; so as he cut the hide away from the deer's body he was careful to leave it as intact as he possibly could as he cut it away from the meat the skin of the deer slowly peeling away from its body as he knew it could be used later to create some sort of storage he could carry the meat within, Walker continued his work over the next two hours; sweat forming on his brow as the early morning dragged and the sun began to hang in the sky above him, signalling the afternoon was soon to arrive.

A small yawn pulled Walker from his work on the corpse of the animal as he looked over to see Aya stretched as she rubbed her tired eyes, the small rag clothed girl letting out a few tired mutters about it being too early as she brushed her crimson red hair away from her eyes as she opened them; spotting Walker as he stood over his work wiping blood from his combat knife as he smiled at the young girl.

"Morning sleeping beauty, did you rest well?" Walker asked in a hushed tone as he slid his knife into the dirt, smiling at the girl as she waved at him tiredly rubbing one of her eyes as she let out another yawn as she stretched her small body out, her back most likely stiff from lying on the hard ground as she looked over at Walker with her tired orbs.

"Morning Walker, d-did you go somewhere this morning?" She asked with another soft yawn as she blinked the sleep from her eyes.

"I got us some breakfast Aya, get ready because we're going to be on the move after breakfast; I want to get to the next town as soon as possible because we're going to need supplies for the next leg of the journey."

"Ooook." She muttered as she stretched again before standing up and wiping the dirt off of her ragged dress.

Two hours later Walker had finished skinning the deer, the meat that he could carry had been stored within the skin which was now attached to the end of a stick he could sling over his shoulder to carry and Aya was raring to go. "Come on Walker! The next town is really close from what I remember!"

"Alright Aya, keep close alright; I'm not gonna be able to carry you with the rest of our stuff." Walker warned as he picked up the thick branch with the deer skin bag on the end and with that, Walker began to make his way into the woods towards where Aya said the town was; the small girl that would change his life walking right beside him.

Walker just didn't know it yet.


End file.
